Pandemic Planning

Every winter, the United States suffers a seasonal flu that kills approximately 36,000 people and hospitalizes more than 200,000.

But as terrible as those statistics are, health experts warn of a far more lethal kind of flu that could occur by mid-century -- a pandemic flu that could kill more than half a million Americans, hospitalize more than two million and cost our economy a staggering $70 billion to $160 billion in lost productivity and direct medical expenses. During 2006 and 2007, Pew invested in two projects to help ensure that our country is prepared for a flu pandemic or similar public health emergency: The Pandemic Preparedness Initiative and The Promising Practices project.

Our Work

Every winter, the US suffers a seasonal flu that kills approximately 36,000 Americans and hospitalizes more than 200,000 Terrible as that is, health experts are now warning about a far more lethal kind of flu – a pandemic flu that could kill over half a million Americans, hospitalize more than two million, cost our economy billions in lost productivity and direct medical expenses, and... Read More

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Trust for America's Health (TFAH) issued a new report today, Pandemic Influenza: Warning, Children At-Risk, which finds that children and teens between the ages of 0-19 account for nearly 46 percent of all H5N1 “bird” flu cases and deaths. The report also identifies gaps in U.S. preparedness for treating and caring for children during a possible... Read More

Scientists around the globe have been warning about the risk of a potential pandemic influenza outbreak Pandemic flu is caused by a new, severe strain of the flu virus capable of producing severe disease and spreading rapidly person-to-person worldwide Unlike the seasonal flu, a pandemic flu virus poses a novel threat since humans would have no previously developed immunity against this new... Read More

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